Iliniza Norte (5126m/16,813ft)!

Acclimatization wrapped up today with a successful climb of Ecuador’s Iliniza Norte (5126m/16,813ft). Next up is Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. Here’s guide Terray Sylvester’s recap of the two-day climb of Iliniza Norte:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition on January 28th. We are just about back to the parking lot after successfully climbing Iliniza Norte over the course of two days.

Yesterday we hiked up to the New Horizons Refuge (Refugio Nuevos Horizontes) at just about 15,500 ft. (4724m) and had a restful night there plus a great dinner of fried trout and guacamole and soup and fresh pineapple. Then we woak up early this morning – a couple of hours before dawn – and climbed up to the summit of Iliniza Norte, which is 16,800 ft. (5126m). It’s the eighth highest peak in Ecuador. It was a great climb, the clouds parted and gave us views of three of Ecuador’s major volcanoes: Antisana (5704m), Cayambe (5790m), and our next objective, Cotopaxi (5897m).

So now we are right on scheudle to be back at our hacienda for lunch. We will relax the rest of the day and then tomorrow we will drive into Cotopaxi National Park to begin our ascent. We’ll be in touch!